Looking for ballpark starting gearing, for 13.5 class, tiers and any other tips to get me kinda close.

I've read the "Hey New Guy!" page and it's pretty informative - thank you! I wanted to discuss however, what brands of cars and radios most people are actually using on the track. I've watched many Youtube videos, and also plan on coming in your club to watch and learn before getting deep into the sport, but wanted to get a discussion going on here as well. Thank you!